>> I want to work hard, and see meaningful progression: in salary, in impact, in respect. You seem to have the mindset that you can receive some form of person

>> I want to work hard, and see meaningful progression: in salary, in impact, in respect. You seem to have the mindset that you can receive some form of personal fulfillment from your career and that your employer is there to provide that to you in return for services rendered. In the perverted corporate world in which most companies operate, it is in their best interest to keep you dissatisfied for as long as you expect that fulfillment or happiness can be achieved by working for them. If you want salary, impact, and respect then you should probably continue on the management track but you'll have to accept that the impact and respect components are a fabrication.